National dance agency partners with creative ageing charity to bring dance to older people

Older people’s charity, Equal Arts has joined forces with Dance City to support their new initiative Care to Dance.

Care to Dance has been launched to mark the 30th anniversary of both Dance City and Equal Arts and will see specially trained dance teachers demonstrate their techniques to older people, including those living with dementia across the North East of England.

Chief executive and artistic director of Dance City, Anthony Baker commented: “We are extremely pleased to be working with Equal Arts to run this fantastic programme. We’ve seen the amazing impacts that bringing dance to older people can have from the physical benefits such as improved mobility and fitness to the wide ranging psychological benefits and enjoyment that taking part in dance can have. We hope we can bring this opportunity to many people in care homes across the North East.”

This year is the first time Dance City has run a campaign to share dance with older people living in care settings.

Equal Arts has 30 years’ worth of experience providing creative opportunities for older people and will inspire and train dancers with specialist skills to take their practice into care settings.

Mona McCarthy is a dancer and has worked with Equal Arts for nine years. She said: “Movement and creativity can bring huge benefits to health and wellbeing for people in care settings and those living with dementia.

“It is a fantastic way to engage with those who may have limited communication, get people interacting, exploring their imaginations and living in the moment.

“People love to dance and this doesn’t change as we get older.”

The charity also train care sector managers and staff on how to introduce creativity into the care they provide and believe that it should sit equally alongside physical care.

Carole Bertram is the manager of an extra care facility in Gateshead run by Housing and Care 21. She said: “People living here have benefited greatly from the sessions with Equal Arts.

“The movement and music sessions don’t rely on memory, people live in the moment and it’s fantastic to see their smiles when they sing.

“The sessions bring such benefits to those involved I’d like to see them run every extra care court.”

Find out more about Care to Dance by visiting: www.dancecity.co.uk/caretodance